


When the Day Met the Night

by Auddieliz09



Series: Who I Am and Who I Hope to Be [1]
Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Organized Crime, Photographer Liam, Theo and Tara hate their lives, mob boss's son Theo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-19
Updated: 2019-12-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:27:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21865231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auddieliz09/pseuds/Auddieliz09
Summary: The day finally arrives where Theo is told he's officially joining the family business. He's not happy to hear the news. Life under his father's thumb is a nightmare come true.On his last day of freedom, he meets Liam Dunbar, a human ray of sunshine that changes everything.
Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken
Series: Who I Am and Who I Hope to Be [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1575232
Comments: 25
Kudos: 54
Collections: 2019 Thiam Reverse Big Bang





	When the Day Met the Night

**Author's Note:**

  * For [xTarmanderx](https://archiveofourown.org/users/xTarmanderx/gifts).



> My second Thiam RBB! Whew!
> 
> Honestly, I can't tell yall how excited I am about this one. There is so much more planned but I ran out of time to squish all of my ideas into one fic, so keep your eyes out for more to come!
> 
> Huge shout out to xtarmanderx who made the beautiful art that inspired this fic! This fic wouldn't exist without you!! <3
> 
> And a special thanks to my beta reader/cheerleader, Sef, who never let me give up.
> 
> And because I suck, here's a link to the art: https://xtarmanderx.tumblr.com/post/189764526193/httpsarchiveofourownorgworks21865231-tags

Theo sits in his father’s office listening to him going over the day’s books. His mind wanders, but he keeps one ear tuned into what his father is saying. It’s a trick he learned early to keep from getting socked in the face for not listening. His father is a mean man and had no problems hurting his children to teach them lessons.

Head of a criminal empire, Johnathan Raeken isn’t above hurting anyone to keep his little kingdom running smoothly and his coffers filled. 

“Theo, are you listening to me?” Johnathan snaps, bringing all of Theo’s attention to him.

“Yes, of course.” Theo makes his tone attentive. 

“Then what did I say?”

Theo repeats everything his father had told him about their accounts and what money is going where. His father seems satisfied with Theo’s answer. 

“Good.” Johnathan leans back in his chair. “You need to know the ins and outs of this operation. We’re getting rid of Anders. You’re taking his place.”

“I’m what?” Theo can’t believe his ears. “Why?” Anders has been one of his father’s top lieutenants since before Theo was born. And when Johnathan Raeken ‘gets rid of someone’ that means that someone has a date with the harbor and a bullet in their head. 

“He’s been skimming for years. I let him get away with it while you were learning. You know enough to take over his position. You start next week.”

Theo squares his shoulders. “Yes, sir.”

“That’s my boy. Just think, a decade or two and you’ll take over for your old man, eh?”

Theo smirks. “Whenever you’re ready to retire…”

Johnathan’s head tilts back as he releases a hearty laugh. “I’m not ready to give up the seat just yet, junior.” He straightens up and picks up another file. “Go enjoy your last week of freeloading. Send your sister in on your way out.”

“Yes, sir,” Theo repeats at the dismissal and leaves his father’s office.

Theo immediately goes to his sister’s room. He gives a special knock on her door to warn that it’s him and that he’s coming in before slipping into her room and leaning back against her door and sighing.

Tara is sitting on her bed with her laptop in front of her. Theo’s pretty sure she’s watching that ridiculous werewolf show that she writes fanfiction for. “You know, I could be naked in here one of these days. Maybe you should wait for a response before opening the door.” She grumbles at him.

Theo wrinkles his nose. “First of all, ew. Second of all, gross. Clearly, the solution here is for you to just never be naked in the privacy of your own room.”

Tara snorts. “What’s up?”

“Father Dearest requests your immediate presence in his office,” Theo tells her.

“Ugh. Why?”

“I don’t know.” Theo sighs again. “Maybe he wants to give you a job, too.”

“Wait, what? Too?” She sits up and focuses totally on him.

“Yep. I’m starting Anders’s route next week after dad gets rid of him.”

_ “Anders?” _

“Apparently he’s been skimming for years and dad’s just been waiting for me to be ready. Or whatever.” Theo rolls his eyes.

“Shit, bro. I’m sorry.”

“Not like we didn’t know it was coming.” He shrugs. “He’s been grooming me to join the family business since forever. Fuck whatever I actually  _ want _ to do with my life.”

Tara sighs and pauses her show. “I guess I’ll head that way. Wish me luck.”

“Good luck.”

*

Theo took his dad’s advice and enjoyed his last week of free _dom._ _Freeloading? What an asshole._ Theo can half tune out of his father’s droning over the books because he’s been helping his assistant since he was eighteen and she’d insisted he learn what it was all about. Jennifer is a snake, but she’s meticulous with her books.

Johnathan’s top enforcers, three terrifying individuals known in the syndicate as the dread doctors for their use of surgical steel in extracting information out of people, have had Theo sit through numerous  _ interrogations _ and punishments throughout the years. 

Just the thought has Theo shivering. Ugh. He can practically see his future. Eventually, he’s going to be expected to get his hands bloody. He knows he has the capacity to do it; he also knows he doesn’t want to ever have to do it. He doesn’t want to harden himself against the world. He doesn’t want to use people and sell weapons, drugs, and people to make money. He doesn’t want to become his father.

On his last day of freedom, Theo decides to take a walk to the park. If this is going to be his last day as a (mostly) innocent man, he’s going to enjoy the simplest of innocent pleasures. Taking in the beauty of the world. He sits on a bench and watches the people go past. Old couples, people with their dogs, mothers with strollers, teens with skateboards.

A scratching sound catches his attention and Theo looks up to see a squirrel skittering up across the branch of a tree. He smiles slightly as it sticks its head in a hole in the tree.

“Oh, wow.” 

A voice catches his attention and he looks to his left to see a man about his age staring at him with a camera in his hands. Theo raises an eyebrow at him.

“Jesus. And I thought your profile was beautiful.” The guy clears his throat, a blush tinging his high cheekbones. “You probably get this a lot, but you are insanely gorgeous.”

Theo’s other eyebrow joins the first high on his forehead. His looks have never been pointed out so bluntly before. Sure, he knows he’s attractive and plenty of people have told him he’s hot, but this is a new one. “Ah. Thank you. I’m flattered, I think.”

“Shit.” The guy grins, and okay, damn. He isn’t hard on the eyes either. “Sorry. I’m not really known for my tact.” He steps forward and extends a hand to Theo. “Liam Dunbar.”

“Theo Raeken.” Theo shakes the proffered hand. “So, you’re always this forward with strangers you see in the park?”

“Only the especially pretty ones.” Liam grins again, flashing a dimple in his right cheek.

Theo has a faint thought that the sun should be in the sky, not the other way around. And yet, Liam’s impossibly blue eyes are set in a face of pure sunshine. He’s known many stunningly beautiful people, you really can’t move within the elite circles without encountering them. But here this stranger is, in a denim jacket of all things, with golden evening sunlight illuminating his shaggy hair, and Theo knows he’s never met anyone like this.

“So, Theo Raeken,” Liam pulls Theo out of his musings, “May I?” He holds up his camera.

“You want to take a picture of me?” Theo asks, bemused.

“Honestly, I can’t believe you’re surprised. Random dude comes up to you with a camera and tells you how beautiful you are, what did you expect?”

“No offense, Liam Dunbar, but I don’t think anyone could prepare themselves for meeting you.”

“Yeah, okay. That’s fair.” He shrugs goodnaturedly. “You still didn’t answer my question, though.”

“I’ll tell you what. You can take as many pictures as you want if you sit with me until the sun goes down.” Theo pats the bench beside him.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” He shrugs, staring off across the park toward. “I’ve got a big day ahead of me tomorrow that I’m not really looking forward to. Maybe you can capture my last day of freedom and keep me company.”

A shutter from the camera catches his attention. Liam smiles sheepishly. “There isn’t going to be enough sunlight for me to get as many photos as I want. But I certainly don’t mind getting as many of them as I can.” He shifts to the left and raises his camera. “Look back up at the tree if you would?” When Theo looks back up to where the squirrel had been, he hears the camera once more. “Perfect. What’s so bad that’s happening tomorrow?”

“Oh. I’m starting my first day in the family business.” Theo can feel his brows furrow and the camera clicks again. He looks up at Liam who takes another photo. “Do you do this professionally?”

“Yeah, freelance. A lot of nature shots, but I’m always interested in photographing people. Especially those with interesting features. Look behind me?” Theo follows directions once more. “You don’t like your family business? Wait. Raeken. As in Raeken Enterprises?”

“Yep. Daddy is a businessman who expects me to take up the mantle someday.” Theo answers dryly. “I’ve been prepping for tomorrow for as long as I can remember. And I’ve been dreading it for just as long.”

Liam crouches and points to his shoulder for Theo to look at. “I take it he’s never once asked what you want to do with your life?”

“Absolutely not.”  _ Click. _

“Fine. I will. What do you want to do with your life, Theo?”

Theo looks into Liam’s eyes, startled. Then he laughs. “I have absolutely no idea.”

Liam takes one last photo and then plops down beside him. “Really? No secret dreams of being a humble baker or running off into the night to join the circus?”

“Uh. No?” Theo settles back and leans over Liam to try and catch a glimpse at the tiny viewscreen on his camera. “I just know I don’t want to do what my dad does. He’s built his empire on the backs of hardworking men and women and doesn’t plan to change. Not to mention his side businesses that the public doesn’t know about and I’m not willing to get into right now. Neither my sister nor I want anything to do with Raeken Enterprises, and yet we’re being sucked into it anyway.”

“Well, I can’t relate to any of that, but I don’t think you should do anything you absolutely don’t want to do. I don’t have a lot of excellent advice, but maybe think about what you’d want to be doing if you weren’t joining the family business. Personal interests? Hobbies? Do you like art? Philanthropy?” Liam turns toward him, his face earnest. “You don’t have to, of course. But if you really don’t want to work for your dad, then I think the first step to getting out of it is to figure out what you do want to do.”

Theo’s gaze traces over the lines of Liam’s face until his eyes catch on the clear blue of Liam’s own. “That actually sounds like excellent advice to me.”

The smile that blooms on Liam’s face is nothing short of heartstopping. Theo wonders if his lips are as soft as they look. He mentally shakes the thought away. Liam isn’t some random stranger in the club to scratch an itch with. And even if Theo never sees him again, he doesn’t want to add him to the endless line of faceless hookups. No, he’s known Liam for less than half an hour and he already knows the other man is special.

Theo clears his throat. “Right. Well, I came here to distract myself from my impending doom. Now, I have you here to do it for me,” he smirks. “What do you do besides take photos of strangers in parks?”

Liam laughs and Theo listens as he tells him about traveling for work. About how fun it was to do the photographs at his best friend’s wedding. About starting out taking photos of models for his sister’s fashion line. Liam talks about how before he’d made a name for himself, he’d been a barista at a small coffee shop on a street Theo had never heard of. That somehow segues into him talking about how his first tattoo was from previously mentioned best friend practicing on him and his latest tattoo was his best friend covering it up with something better.

“He was so proud of it for so long and then one day he’s like, ‘Liam, for the love of god, let me cover up that monstrosity.’” Liam lifts his sleeve to show Theo an intricate wolf tattoo on his forearm. “You can still see where the old one was here and here. But if I don’t tell anyone, no one seems to notice, which is all Mason asks for.” He laughs.

They talk until the moon is high and by the time Liam finishes his third jaw-cracking yawn, Theo knows they have similar tastes in books and music and opposing opinions on a lot of food. They laugh with each other, commiserating on being younger brothers to older sisters. Theo tells Liam about how Tara had put an ad to sell Theo on craigslist when she was ten.

“Lydia’s great,” Liam says now, “But she’s always been interested in fashion. Unfortunately, I was her first choice for a model when we were kids.”

“Lydia?”

“Lydia Martin. She’s my half-sister.” Liam shrugs easily.

“Seriously? I’ve  _ met  _ Lydia. My sister loves her clothes. I swear half of Tara’s closet has your sister’s name on it.” 

Liam laughs. “Where did you meet her?”

“Some gala or other.” Theo waves the question away. “She didn’t bother to tell me that she had an attractive younger brother.”

When Liam ducks his head, Theo wishes it weren’t so dark so that he could see if Liam is blushing. “Yeah, well, I’m not the famous one, so.”

Liam’s phone buzzes in his pocket. He pulls it out and looks at the notification. “Speak of the Devil,” he grins and turns the phone to Theo showing him a text from Lydia asking him if he’s still awake.

Theo looks at the time. “Is it that late already?”

“Huh.” Liam looks at his phone as well. “I guess it is. And Lyds only asks me that if she’s stuck on a design and needs another set of eyes to help her make a decision. I should probably go see what’s up before she starts calling me.”

“Yeah, no problem. I’ve gotta get ready for tomorrow anyway.” They both stand up. “Thank you for distracting me. You performed your duties very well.”

“Thank you. I’m happy to help,” Liam laughs. “So, um, in the interest of my rarely used tact, would it be too forward of me to ask for your number?”

Theo is about to automatically say no. He’s got no business thinking about giving his number to a civilian. But these last few hours were the easiest and most carefree ones he’d experienced in a long time and damn if he doesn’t want another shot at feeling that again. “Sure,” he says. “How else would you be able to show me those photos you took of me?”

Liam’s face lights up brighter than any of the stars in the sky. “You really want to see them?”

“Sure.” Theo shoves his hands in his pockets in an attempt a nonchalance. “You seemed pretty enthusiastic about what you saw. I’d like to see me through your eyes.”

Liam blinks at him. “Yeah. Yeah, okay. That’s… I can do that.” He fumbles with his phone and hands it to Theo.

Theo calls himself and pulls out his own vibrating phone to show Liam that his phone is actually ringing before hanging up. “Alright, Liam. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Yeah, same, Theo.” Liam looks like he’s about to say something else but his phone starts ringing in his hand. “Shit. It’s Lydia. I’ll see you later then?”

Theo laughs at his mildly panicked face. “Yeah. See you later.”

He chuckles quietly and watches as Liam walks away, ensuring his sister that he’s on his way to help.

He decides it’s in his best interest to make his own way home. It takes him about fifteen minutes to make it back to the family’s house. On his way to his room, he’s thinking about everything Liam had said. Theo decides to make a detour to Tara’s room. He knocks and waits for her to answer.

“Look at you, you can be taught manners.” Tara levels him with a bemused grin.

“Looks like it.” Theo rolls his eyes. 

“What brings you to my humble boudoir in the middle of the night, little brother?”

“You are aware that there is a difference between a boudoir and a bedroom, right?”

“You are aware that it’s too damn late for you to be mansplaining anything to me, right?” They glare at each other until Theo finally sighs and rolls his eyes. Tara grins. “Seriously, though. I’m in the middle of a Very Important ‘enemies to lovers’ fic and I’d like to get back to it if you don’t have anything important to say.” 

Theo rolls his eyes again. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Tara straightens up and sets her laptop to the side. “Did dad put you up to this?”

“No!” Theo holds out his hands in surrender. “It’s a legitimate question! If you weren’t stuck in this life, what would you want to be doing instead of training to take over the brothel?” 

That had been what Johnathan had wanted to talk to Tara about a week ago. She’s not at all happy about it. It’s actually a high-end escort service that their mother operates. Apparently, unlike their father, she is ready to retire early.

Tara sighs. “You really want to know?”

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“I’ll tell you after you answer. I don’t want to distract you.”

“Is it distracting information?”

“Probably. Stop dodging the question.”

“Ugh. Fine. Sit down.” Tara pats her bed in front of her.

Theo kicks off his shoes and climbs up onto her bed to sit across from her. “Well?”

It’s Tara’s turn to roll her eyes. “Honestly? I’d want to go to school to be a writer.”

“Wait. Really? What kind of writer?”

“Yeah, I love writing. I’d like to write an actual novel one day, but I’ve pretty much resigned myself to fanfiction. And, god, I’ll probably have to finish all of my works-in-progress before I take over for mom. Can’t see myself having much time to write once I start.” She rolls her head back and sighs at the ceiling.

Theo sees his own despair in the set of his sister’s shoulders. Theo huffs, “Someone asked me that question today and I didn’t have an answer. Don’t have an answer. I’ve always known I’d end up here so I never bothered to think about doing anything else.”

“And now that someone has asked, you want to have an answer.”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

“Maybe, don’t think about it. It sucks having a dream you know will never come true.” Theo sighs and Tara peers up at him. “Oh, boy. You’re already in too deep. Jeez. Who asked.”

“Ugh. Okay, so did you know Lydia Martin has a younger brother?”

“Yeah, Liam. What does that have to do with anything?” Her eyes widen. “Is that who you met? Liam Dunbar? Up and coming photographer and total stud muffin?” Theo keeps his face neutral but can’t hide the heat he can feel in his ears. “Oh, my god, you did! He’s cute as fuck, right? I know you think so. He’d definitely your type. I’ve never met him, but I’ve seen him on Lydia’s Insta. I probably could’ve gotten you an introduction a lot sooner if I’d thought about it.”

“God, Tara. Please stop talking now.”

“Absolutely not. By your reactions, I’d say you have a big fat crush and it is my obligation as the older sibling to make your life hell because of it.”   
  


“Or you could be a good person and let it go.” Theo points out.

“I am the daughter of a kingpin for an organized crime ring. I wasn’t raised to be a good person.”

“Neither was I. And yet…” 

Tara whacks him with a pillow. “Whatever. Fine. What’s he like?”

“Kind. Honest. Authentic. Tactless.” Theo smirks a little. “Gorgeous. He knows exactly what he wants and he’s on the path to get it.” He sighs. “Untouchable.”

“Oh, come on, Little T. That’s not true.”

“Isn’t it? What do I have to offer him that is real?”

Tara glares at him for a moment, then sighs. “Yeah, okay. I get your point. Think you’ll ever see him again?”

“I’m sure I will. But I’m not offering or accepting more than friendship.” Keeping Liam at arm’s length is the best way to keep him safe, second only to cutting off all communication indefinitely. But Theo knows he’s not strong enough to do that. 

Just a small ray of sunlight in his dark world was enough to make him hopelessly addicted to its bright warmth and he’ll do whatever he has to do to feel it again. Even if only in small doses.

Tara leans forward to rest her forehead on Theo’s sternum. “Our lives suck, little brother.”

He wraps his arms around her shoulders. “That they do.” 

*

The next morning, Theo is woken by pounding on his bedroom door. He growls and drags himself out of bed, yanking the first shirt he can find over his head and opens his door. “What?”

Schrader, one of Johnathan's creepier henchmen, was at his door. “Boss wants to see you. I suggest you don’t keep him waiting.”

Theo rolls his eyes. “I’ll get dressed, then. He’s in his office?”

Schrader shakes his head. “He’s having breakfast on the veranda.”

“Right. Of course. I’ll be there in ten minutes, tops.” Theo promptly shuts the door in Schrader’s face.

He sighs and stumbles into his ensuite bathroom to brush his teeth. Then, he pulls on some appropriate clothing and heads toward the back of the house.

Johnathan sits at his usual spot at the head of the table with the newspaper. Theo’s mom sat across from him, scrolling through her phone. She looks up when Theo walks in.

“Hello, darling. Are you ready for your big day?” She asks in her deceptively sweet southern drawl.

“Yes, ma’am.” Theo leans down to brush a kiss across her cheek. “Anytime you want to convince dad to run away to Aruba with you and leave everything to us would be just fine.”

Daphne Raeken clicks her tongue at him. “As if your father could live without his fingers in all of his pies.”

Theo just shrugs and sits to his father’s right. When Cook brings him his breakfast, he thanks her and digs into his melon salad. Johnathan will speak to him when he’s ready to say what he wants and not a minute sooner.

Theo is polishing off the first half of his bagel when his father finally twitches the corner of the newspaper. “Shame all the cruel nonsense that’s going on these days.”

Theo scans the headlines and notes a political car bombing, a murder-suicide, a convicted drug dealer, and a small mention about city funding being cut to the local schools. Theo connects the dots easily enough. His father is indirectly responsible for at least half of those.

He makes a non-committal noise and starts spreading the cream cheese spread on the second half of his bagel.

Johnathan grunts and continues reading.

_ Good to know I rushed down here to stare at your newspaper, dad. _

Before Theo can do something stupid, like say that thought out loud, Tara comes through the back door. She’s fully dressed and pressed, clearly going with their mother to work that day. When she passes through a beam of sunlight, Theo can see the shadows under her eyes her makeup can’t quite cover. 

She has the same idle conversation with Daphne and sits across from Theo. He can see the mild surprise, pride, and resignation play over Tara’s face when their mother compliments her dress. She’s done well in choosing her image for the day. Theo knows how much Tara hates it. Lydia Martin’s clothes are comfortable and classy while the clothes she has to wear if she’s going to take over the escort service are tight and flashy. Not revealing; she’s not training to be one of the working girls, after all. But still too ostentatious for Tara’s laid back sense of fashion.

Thinking of Tara’s favorite designer makes Theo think about the woman’s brother. And almost as if thinking about him had summoned him, Theo’s phone vibrates in his pocket. He pulls it out and sees a message from Liam.

**DUNBAR**

**Hey. Good luck with your Thing today. :)**

God, how is this guy even real? People like him aren’t supposed to exist.

Theo sends back a quick thank you text and shoves his phone back in his pocket as Johnathan folds up the paper and sets it aside and pulling up a folder he’s had to the far side of his plate. “Junior, this is your itinerary. Anders should be meeting with Marcel and the others in-” he checks his watch “-ten minutes. He will not be getting in your way. I trust you can handle everything else on your own.”

It wasn’t a question, but Theo still says, “Yes, sir.”

“Good.” Johnathan rises and leaves the table. His guard dog, Sebastian Valet, detaches himself from the wall and follows him out the door.

“You’ll do fine tonight, darling,” Daphne tells him. “Tara, sweetheart, finish quickly. I want to be at Heaven in an hour.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Tara nods and takes a bite out of her own bagel.

“Good, girl.” Their mom tucks her phone into her clutch and leaves in the opposite direction of their father.

When she’s gone, Tara immediately slumps and tugs at her dress around her ribs. Sighing, she says, “Another day in the life, huh, little brother?”

“Yep. Fucking paradise.” Theo holds out his almost empty glass of orange juice and Tara taps it with her own. He drains the rest and picks up the folder, sighing. “I love doing my homework the morning before it’s due. Do you think he’s trying to get me killed?”

“They know you. They know you’re the boss’s son. They’d be stupid if they tried to touch you.”

“Not unless the answer to my question is ‘yes’.”

Tara nods, conceding his point. “Dad seems pretty serious about taking out Anders, though, so.” She shrugs.

“Yeah. I’ll come to see you tonight after I’m done, okay?”

“Alright. Good luck.”

*

Theo doesn’t get shot as soon as he shows his face at the meeting place that night, so that’s a good sign.

“Uh, Mr. Raeken. We weren’t expecting to see you here tonight.” The man closest to him says when he walks through the door.

“Get used to it, Matt. I’m taking over for Anders. Do you have a problem with that?” Theo raises his brow.

“I don’t as long as the job gets done. Does Argent know you’ve taken over?”

“Do I look like a fucking idiot? Of course, he knows.” Theo had personally called Gerard himself so his people would know to expect him. Clearly, the geriatric asshole hadn’t passed on the message. Probably for the same reason Johnathan hadn’t told him the specifics of this job until the day of. To see if Theo would fuck it up. “So do you have what we agreed upon, or not?”

Matt waves to the goons behind him and they drag forward a large crate. He opens the lid and gestures for Theo to look inside. Theo walks over and pulls one of the bundles out of the crate. He takes the pen knife out of his pocket and scores a shallow slice on the top of the package, brushing his thumb over a little bit of white powder that had spilled out. He sucks his thumb into his mouth. Pure, undiluted cocaine. 

He repeats the process with a package from the middle on the left side and from the bottom on the right side of the crate. All packages come out clean. Theo thoroughly enjoys they annoyed look on Matt’s face when he looks at him. “Never can be too careful, am I right?”

“Your father and Gerard are respected business partners. I don’t think Mr. Argent will be too pleased to know you’ve tested so much of the merch. Got a little powder problem, Little Raeken?”

Theo rolls his eyes. “‘Trust, but verify’ is a concept your boss is very familiar with, Matty. And you and I both know that I’m not the one here that partakes.” He keeps his stare flat as Matt flares up. Before the idiot can think of a comeback, Theo waves to his own goons to bring the payment.

He watches impassively as Matt pulls six different stacks out of the briefcase to inspect. “Trust, but verify.” He sneers.

“That is what I said.” Theo nods toward the crate and his goons replace the lid and pull it off the ground. Theo sends Matt a sarcastic salute. “Next time.”

After the crate is secured in the back of an SUV that Theo didn’t arrive in, he climbs into the backseat to escort the coke to the distributor, who will give it to the dealers who will sell it to the poor saps who need to spend their money on much healthier outlets.

Theo sighs quietly to himself and settles in for the long, winding, backtracking drive. His phone vibrates. Probably his dad asking for a progress report. He rolls his eyes and pulls out his phone. It’s not Johnathan.

It’s Liam.

**DUNBAR**

**Okay. So I finished the prints.**

**Honestly, I thought I was exaggerating your face in my head.**

**I was not. You seriously look like that. Wtf.**

**Theo**

**I have no idea what I’m supposed to say to that.**

**DUNBAR**

**Say you’ll have a late dinner with me.**

**Or at least join me while I eat if you’ve already eaten.**

**Theo**

**I’d love to.**

**Unfortunately, I’ll be working for the next hour or so.**

**DUNBAR**

**Bummer. I’m starving.**

**How about dessert?**

**There is a diner on 17th that has The Best milkshakes.**

Theo knows he shouldn’t agree. He really,  _ really  _ likes Liam. That is not good for either of them. But the blue-eyed stranger with the easy laugh and sunshine smile has already lured Theo in like a moth to a flame. Theo will just have to be smart enough to leave before either of them get burned.

Besides, he can’t remember the last time he had a milkshake.

**Theo**

**Alright. I assume you’re talking about Melissa’s?**

**I’ll meet you there in an hour and a half.**

**DUNBAR**

**YES! :D**

**I’ll see you in a bit.**

Theo tucks his phone back in his pocket and fights to keep the smile off his face. He reminds himself that he’s still on the job and he needs to focus if he wants the next step to go as smoothly as the first. Somehow, he doubts the distributor knows he’s coming any more than Matt did.

*

It had gone well. Sydney had been wary at first, but he’d explained about Anders and she’d let him in. 

He texts Tara to let her know that the job is done and he’s still alive, but he isn’t going home right away. When she asks why he makes the mistake of telling her the truth. The string of winking and eggplant emojis she sends has him wishing he’d just gone home.

Theo sits in his own car in the parking lot of a brightly lit diner, looking in at the man he’d come to meet through the window, feeling more nervous than he had all night.  _ Get it together, Raeken. He’s just a cute guy. _

Except he’s not. If Liam were just a cute guy, Theo would’ve chatted with him for a few minutes and went on with his evening. If Liam were just someone Theo was attracted to, Theo might have gone to his place for the night. But Theo had done none of those things. He’d let Liam take his photo, he’d talked to him for literal hours, he’d given him his phone number. Liam isn’t just a cute guy.

Which is why Theo is getting out of his car and heading inside to have a milkshake with him. As soon as he walks through the door and past an honest to god jukebox, Liam beams at him. His face literally lights up. How the hell is Theo supposed to deal with this? His best course of action seems to be to just… sit down across from him and smile back.

“Hi!” Liam says, still beaming. “How did it go?”

“Well, I’m not dead, so it went well, I guess.” Theo clamps down on the urge to wince. That’s too close to the truth and Liam does not need to hear it.

Luckily, Liam must think he’s joking because he laughs. “It can’t be that bad.”

“Nah.” Theo shrugs. “I’m basically a courier or a delivery boy. Just on a grander scale. Some of the places I deliver to aren’t in the best neighborhoods if you know what I mean.” There, that’s… true enough without going into life-threatening details.

“Ah, yeah. I told you about Mason? He used to deliver groceries. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories.” Liam grimaces. “Once, a dude got high as fuck, ordered a shit ton of food, forgot he’d ordered it, then opened the door in nothing but an open bathrobe with a shotgun. Mason quit after that.”

“Yikes.” Theo mirrors Liam’s expression. “I can’t say that I blame him.” 

Apparently, average, everyday folks are as fucked up as the ones he has to deal with. Good to know. Theo distantly wonders if the man bought his drugs from one of his father’s dealers. 

“Right?” Liam chuckles wryly, then turns toward the front counter of the diner where the cook was frying bacon and eggs for a scruffy man sitting on one of the stools at the counter. “Hey, Marco? We’re ready when Jess is.”

The man in front of the grill salutes Liam with his spatula then sticks his head through the door to the left of the grill. He nods at someone then goes back to poking at the eggs.

A tall, broad-shouldered waiter with a bubblegum pink undercut passes through the door and practically skips to their table. Theo notes the little round pin under Jess’s name tag with an arrow painted with genderfluid colors pointing to ‘she’. 

Jess looks Theo up and down then sends an impressed look toward Liam. “Boy, you weren’t kidding.”

Liam rolls his eyes with a fond smile on his face. “Theo, this is Jess. Jess, Theo. She’s the coolest waiter in this joint.”

“You’re damn right.” Jess winks at him. “I already fed you, now I’m guessing you’re ready for dessert?” She wiggles her eyebrows at Theo.

Liam rolls his eyes. “Ugh. I take it back. You’re the worst.” 

Theo quite likes the faint blush staining Liam’s cheeks.

“Liam has assured me that this diner has The Best milkshakes.” Theo diverts Jess’s attention before she can tease Liam any further. “What flavors do you have?”

“Oh, honey, whatever flavor you want.” Jess pulls a laminated paper out of her apron. “As long as it’s on the list.”

Theo stares at the flavor menu in front of him. The flavors are split into categories ranging from Chocolate Concoctions to Fruit Blends to Classic Desserts. There is even one for alcohol cocktail flavors, though they have no alcohol in them. “I’m pretty sure there are no flavors left out on this thing.”

“Probably not,” Liam answers him. “But if you’re feeling extra adventurous, you can combine flavors.”

“I feel like I should stick to the menu for now and experiment later,” Theo mutters absently, scanning the list. “There are so many, but as soon as I saw Mint Cookies and Cream, I knew I needed it in my life.” He hands the list back to Jess.

“Excellent choice, I assure you.” She winks at him before glancing down at the list then looking at Liam. “You remember what you had last time?”

“I’m in the classic dessert section. S’more’s maybe?” 

“Hmm, I think that’s right. So tonight is Tiramisu.”

“Fuck. Yes.”

Jess throws her head back and laughs. “Alright, babes. I’ll have those out in a few.”

Theo watches as she bustles back around the counter, pausing to tug at Marco’s ponytail before disappearing through the door she’d appeared from. He turns back to look at Liam who has a fond smile on his face. “How long have you been coming here?”

“Since high school. Ms. Melissa’s son was my lacrosse captain before he graduated and passed the mantle to me. We’d come here after games and drive Ms. Melissa up the wall until she’d throw us out to cause trouble elsewhere.” Liam grins.

“I can imagine a bunch of hyped-up teenage boys would be a bit much for one little diner.”

“You’re not wrong.”

“How many of the shakes have you tried, do you know?”

“I’m glad you asked!” Liam laughs. “Actually, I am going down the list, one by one. I don’t come here too terribly often, but in the last year and a half or so, I’ve tasted all of the chocolate and fruit ones. Now I’m at the desserts.”

Theo shakes his head. “That’s a lot of milkshakes.”

“You bet.” Liam winks.

Theo decides to keep his mouth shut after that. He’s not sure he can talk without stuttering until his brain reboots. Luckily, he’s saved by Jess’s return.

“Tiramisu. And Mint Cookies and Cream.” She sets each in front of them respectively. “I’ll leave you boys to it. Just holler if you need anything else.”

“Thanks, Jess,” Theo and Liam say simultaneously.

“Ooh, already so in sync. Look at you guys.” She wipes an imaginary tear from her eye. “So precious.”

“Oh, my god. We were polite at the same time. Call an officiate,” Liam says dryly. “Go annoy your boyfriend.”

Jess snickers. “I do believe I will.” She sends another wink toward Theo. “Enjoy your  _ dessert.” _

She checks on the scruffy guy at the counter before sliding up to Marco and draping her arm over his shoulder. She whispers something in his ear that makes him shake his head but when he turns his head to look at her, Theo can see the corner of his mouth curled up.

Liam puffs out an exasperated sigh, catching Theo's attention. “Love her, but she’s a stranger to subtlety.”

Theo laughs quietly then takes an experimental sip of his shake. He groans. “Oh, my god. This is heaven in a glass.”

“Ha! Told you so! The Best.” Liam takes a sip of his own. “Holy shit. This is better than I imagined,” Liam moans. The sound traveling straight down Theo’s spine to his dick.  _ Fuck.  _ “You wanna taste?”

Theo just stares at Liam through the total system meltdown those words elicited in him until he notices the milkshake Liam held out to him. He blinks and leans forward to wrap his lips around the straw sticking out of the glass. He feels something like gratification when Liam’s gaze locks on his mouth as he takes a sip.

“You’re right,” Theo says. “That is also awesome.” He leans back in his booth, taking another drink from his own shake. “Thank you for inviting me here.”

A grin blooms on Liam’s face, bright as the sun. “My pleasure. Really.” He reaches down and picks up a portfolio folder. “I guess since I invited you here for milkshakes and to look at these, now is a good time to look since we've got the milkshakes.” He hands the folder to Theo.

“Thanks,” Theo mutters, taking it from him. He’s suddenly nervous about what Liam had captured while taking photos of him in the park.

He opens the folder and sees his own profile. He’d never realized his face was so angular. The golden light from the setting sun lit up the visible eye, making it seem almost ethereal. The corner of his mouth was turned down and what Theo could see of his expression seemed… sad. 

He remembers that he’d been telling Liam about how it was his last day of freedom.

The next photo is the one where Liam had instructed him to look up at the tree again. If Theo were a narcissist, he’d be able to see what had caught Liam’s attention in the first place. Sure, his jaw is sharp, as well as his cheekbones, but he kind of hates his ears and the way the shadows hit his brow, making it look like his eyebrows curl all the way around his eye socket.

He’s frowning in the next two photos; directly at the camera in the fourth one. Theo shudders a little at how much he looks like his father with the line between his brows and the way his eyes tightened.

His face is relaxed in the next couple of photos where he’d been taking direction from Liam where to look. He can focus more on how the fading light had played on his features in depending on how he’d tilted his head. His shoulders and posture are relaxed and he’s clearly comfortable sitting and talking with Liam.

Theo almost laughs when he sees the next photo. The line is back between his eyebrows but instead of looking stern and disappointed, he looks like someone told him the sky is green and he’s been seeing it wrong his entire life. 

He’d been absolutely baffled at the idea of someone asking what he wanted to do with his life. And when Liam actually had asked, well…

The final photo shows his startled laugh. He’d thought about the answer to Liam’s question throughout the day and he’s no closer to an answer than he’d been the night before.

“It’s kind of a miracle that all eight of them turned out so well. All credit goes to your face.” Liam taps a finger on the forehead of one of the portraits.

Theo guffaws. “Oh, sure. Like your amazing eye for detail had absolutely nothing to do with making me look like some kind of fire spirit in the light of the sunset. These are amazing, Liam.”

Liam ducks his head a little at the praise. “Thank you.” He pulls one of the photos toward himself. “You think you look like a fire spirit?”

“Well, I glow kinda orange. But I don’t look like Snooki or that couch Cheeto in the white house, so, yeah. I’m more of a night creature, but these make me look almost like I belong to the day.” Theo smiles softly. “It’s kinda nice actually.”

When Liam doesn’t say anything, he looks up to see the other man staring at him, his face unreadable. “I think you’d make an excellent fire spirit.”

“Yeah,” Theo agrees. “Me too.”

Theo looks back down at the photo in his hand; the one where he’s laughing. He can’t help but think that if he got to live in the light, maybe his eyes wouldn’t be so sad all the time. Even smiling, there’s a shadow behind his gaze that’s in every photo. He’d never really thought of himself as sad. Dissatisfied, sure. But not sad.

Liam’s talent has brought more than his face into the light. As he looks over the photos again he notices the set of his shoulders seem almost resigned, his chin stays out as if he’s waiting for a punch. He looks like he’s ready to fight and to run all at the same time yet he doesn’t move.

He wonders if that’s what Liam sees. If Liam developed these photos and saw all the raw edges Theo can see.

He decides he doesn’t want to know. He’s perfectly content to go on thinking Liam sees him as a pretty face for photos and someone he can talk to for hours. He takes another sip of his shake. “So, how bad was the emergency with Lydia last night?”

Liam laughs and lets him change the subject. “She couldn’t choose between a V or U dip in the back of a new ballgown design. Honestly, the V was the obvious choice with the pattern of the fabric, but she wanted to make sure she wasn’t underthinking it, I guess.” He shrugs.

“Oh, yeah, sure. The old V versus U argument is something I know all about,” Theo deadpans.

Liam throws his head back and laughs. His eyes practically glow with mirth when he calms enough to look at Theo. “Yeah, okay, smartass.”

Theo grins prettily at him.

“Ugh. Why don’t I have my camera right now?”

“Really?”

“Honestly, Theo. You are my new favorite subject. If we keep meeting for milkshakes, I’ll have to start bringing my camera because I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of taking photos of you. And I mean that in the least creepy way possible. Jesus.” He hangs his head in his hands.

Theo’s shoulders shake as he silently laughs at the man in front of him. He’s fucking adorable. He understands what Liam is trying to say.

As they finish off their shakes, their conversation jumps from one topic to another with no discernible pattern that Theo can recall. Occasionally, Jess will join them if she overhears them talking about something and feels the need to add her input. 

Theo meets the midnight worker, Marietta. She’s a fiery forty-something with a wicked sense of humor who tolerates Liam’s overexaggerated flirting and Jess’s music choices from the jukebox. 

Like the night before, they don’t notice how much time passes as they talk. But when the third group of drunk twenty-somethings stumbles in, Theo checks his phone and sees that it’s after 2 AM and the clubs are closed, leaving their stragglers to find other places to be.

“Well, damn. It’s pretty fucking late.” He shows Liam the clock on his phone.

“Wait, shit, really? It’s after 2 already? How did that happen?”

“I have no idea.” Theo shakes his head. “We should probably head out, huh?” 

“Yeah, it’s only going to get louder from here.” Liam slides out of his booth and picks up his folder that he’d repacked at some point during their visit. He pulls a twenty out of his shirt pocket and slips it under the sugar shaker.

“You’re abandoning us in our time of need?” Jess accuses as they head toward the door.

“Come now, Jess. We both know you thrive in chaos.” Liam sends her a charming smile.

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever. Take your Greek god and get out of here.” She turns to wipe down their table and tuck the twenty into her apron, sending them off with a pretty grin.

Theo waves to her and Marietta as he follows Liam out the door. They pause in front of his Audi. “This is me.” 

“Nice car.” Liam points to a Land Rover a couple of spots away from him. “That’s my baby. 

“She’s a beauty.” Theo nods in acknowledgment.

“Yep. So…” Liam rocks back on his heels, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

Theo smiles ruefully, “All that time talking about nothing and now we have no idea what to say.”

“We could just not say anything,” Liam suggests, his gaze dipping to Theo’s mouth before traveling back up to meet his eyes.

Theo steps close, his chest brushing against Liam’s. “That's not a bad idea.” He reaches up and cups the back of Liam’s neck and presses their lips together.

<<<◆>>>

_ Theo sits in an uncomfortable chair in a cold, bare room and watches a lanky man dressed in boring black slacks and a white shirt with a ridiculous plaid tie cross the room and sit across from him. He’s about Theo’s age but there’s a hardness around his brown eyes that assures Theo that he's not as green as he looks. He places a folder on the table in front of him and folds his hands on top of it. _

_ “Johnathan Theodore Raeken, Jr. What brings you to my office?” The man asks. _

_ Theo leans back and crosses his arms, bristling at the use of his full name. “Your office is an interrogation room?” He jerks his chin toward the two way mirror to his left. “You might want to talk to the union about better working spaces if this is the best you’ve got.” _

_ The man squints at Theo then rolls his eyes. “My name is Agent Stilinski. I’m in charge of the investigation of your father’s organization. I know you’ve recently joined the family business. Which begs for a repeat of the question: What are you doing here? Why did you ask for me?” _

_ Instead of answering, Theo asks, “Aren’t you a little wet behind the ears to be in charge of taking down an operation this large?” _

_ “Technically,” Stilinski concedes, “But, and I say this with minimal boasting, I’m somewhat of a prodigy. I’m not the first to take on this case, but I am the latest and I’m going to be the one to close it.” _

_ Theo will admit to himself that Stilinski’s confidence is reassuring. “I’m sure many agents before you have said the same thing.” _

_ “Sure. But I’m not going to join them.” Stilinski smirks. “They’ve joined me. Why are you here, Baby Raeken?” _

_ It’s Theo’s turn to roll his eyes. “God, just call me Theo.” He leans forward, copying the agent’s pose. “What you’re telling me, is that you’re the best and you’ve got the minds of the folks with the most information about my dad's operation behind you?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ “Good. I’m going to need the best to help me take him down.” _

_ (To Be Continued…) _


End file.
